The Bossy Quilter

All Star Coins

2011-10-31T05:36:00.000-05:00

This the "leftover" quilt -- just scraps were left of this All Star fabric. And there's one coin made from Momo's It's a Hoot.

I love this quilt.

But now I'm kinda wishing that I had swapped backs with the other All Star Quilt. Might have been more consistent-looking.

Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2011

2011-10-28T16:41:00.004-05:00

I almost missed this fall's Blogger's Quilt Festival, once again sponsored by Amy. My head has been other places. I don't know how much of a story I have for this quilt. It's not new -- I've posted about it before, but I DO love it.

I will tell you, however, that it is made almost entirely from scraps that were salvaged from a friend's house. She would go quilt at the Senior Citizen's Center twice a week, and any time any families would have the contents of their grandmother's sewing room to get rid of, they would bring it there. She would pass along her good fortune to me -- and anyone else who was interested. I was very appreciative, since my husband was in grad school, and we had our 5th child on the way. There was not much (any) room in the budget for fabric. I love traditional blocks -- especially stars. And I am quite patriotic, so I LOVE red, white, and blue quilts. I just don't think they ever date themselves. Or maybe by saying that I am revealing how uncool I truly am. I love how bright the white is, how true the red is, how bold the blue is.

And I just love the Revolutionary War voile on the back. I am also a history buff.

Everything about this quilt just speaks to my soul. It took me a LONG time to make it -- all the log cabins were time consuming -- but I could not be happier with the outcome.

All-Star Bricks

2011-10-27T06:25:00.001-05:00

Not that I needed more fabric, but I just love this Riley Blake line. I think it might be All-Star 2. I got a small FQ pack and just made up this bricks pattern. I was looking for something that would go together quickly. I usually make everything so complicated, and I had a lot of things to make before the birth fair.

I added in a Quilter's Only brown, some robots whose origin I cannot recall (Michael Miller perhaps), and a teal paisley from something so long ago. I think the line was called Tiddly Winks. Okay. I just walked myself upstairs and looked at the selvage. It IS Tiddly Winks, and it's by Arrin Turnmire for Moda. I forgot to look at the date. I'm not walking back up there, but I'm gonna say it's at least 4 years old. I know. I know. A white back on a baby quilt? It's what I had. I think it's cute. And it's too late to go back now. Incidentally, I did another baby quilt with these fabrics, and the front is mostly white while the back is mostly dark. I don't know why it worked out that way, but it did.

Summer Song Pinwheels

2011-10-25T06:18:00.002-05:00

Are you sick of these yet? We're halfway there. I just love Riley Blake's Summer Song line. It's so cheery and fun. I have made two other quilts (okay, they're not MADE, but are in progress) from this line. And I want more. It's just so cheery!

Yup, I bought a FQ pack, and I'm using it up for the back. Wow. That rhymed. Okay. I'll try to break it up by posting something a little different for tomorrow. Then I'll be back with two more baby quilts.

Citron Zoo Baby

2011-10-24T06:05:00.001-05:00

This is an almost exact duplicate of this quilt. I had leftovers, and I loved the first iteration so much that I thought I should do another.

Fabrics are Michael Miller's Zoo Baby, Ta-Dot, and who knows what else. The background fabric is Kona Charcoal (I hope that's right). LOVE this combination! I used Elizabeth's free pattern. And it's already in its new home.

Blackberry Baby

2011-10-21T06:56:00.000-05:00

I never know what to name my quilts. In preparation for the birth fair that I did last month, I finished up a bunch of baby quilts. This was one. I have no sophisticated photos -- just front and back. The next few posts will look similar to this one in that way.

This is one I designed myself. I don't like how wide the black strips are. They look fine with the bigger blocks but are ridiculously huge next to the smaller ones. I'm going to keep looking at this, though, because I like the idea of it. Back. I was able to use up a lot of the purple that Jill sent me. I'm not a purple person, but I have a friend who loves purple and black together. I'm hoping this next baby of hers is a girl, so she can have this one.

On the Bottom of the Beautiful Briny Sea

2011-10-20T07:26:00.004-05:00

Name that tune. Anyone? If you're in your late 30s or older or just a Disney junkie, you'll recognize that from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I always loved that song, and this quilt reminds me of it for some reason -- all the sea life, perhaps.

My quilt group wanted to do a zigzag quilt a while back. I tell you, I am just as behind on my quilt group quilts as I am on my QALs. I guess we can just agree that I'm behind on nearly everything -- except baby quilts for upcoming births. I'm actually ahead there. I just did some wavy lines to sort of look like ocean waves or currents or something. I like the curvy lines juxtaposed against the sharp, geometric shape of the zigzags. I like the movement it gives to the quilt.

It's made mostly with Heather Ross' Mendocino line in the orange/aqua colorway. I saw this on Nettie's blog. She was selling kits and had a tutorial. I didn't buy the kit, because I already had these fabrics, and I think I cut the squares to 5 1/2" or 6 1/2" just to make the quilt a little bigger. That seems like something I would do. ;)

The boys are excited to have something with no pink in it. And those Heather Ross fabrics are SO soft. This one is on my UFO Challenge for the year (see sidebar). I must confess that I have given up on trying to keep up with the right month. I got behind in about May, and now I'm just doggedly trying to finish them all this year period, whenever they get done. I have two and a half months to go and I have finished 10 out of 18. I need to go buy some batting and get going on the rest of them. I am determined. But of course, I need to basically finish one each week to get it all done. (Bites fingernails a little, a bad habit that was theoretically broken when she was 12.) Okay. I'm off to buy some batting, then, I guess. I absolutely WILL NOT start my Swoon quilt until next year. I will NOT.

Charmed Whirligig Finish

2011-10-18T05:52:00.000-05:00

I really have been finishing a number of items but have just been too busy to blog them. So you're going to see a lot of finishes in the near future and not much process. I am also trying to focus on finishing and not starting new things. I'm sure I've said that before too, but I've been on a little bit of a roll with that.

Two charm packs (plus backing fabric) make the whirligigs. Fabric requirements here. Instructions here.

Fabric is Martinique by 3 Sisters for Moda. I love the soft look that their fabrics lines always give. I'm not a pastel person really, but I just love their lines! I love a good paisley. I am an 80s girl, and we loved us some paisley in that decade. I'm happy to see it coming back around -- and in such beautiful colors too.I stippled this in a coral pattern, which I though was fitting since some of these fabrics have coral on them.

Machine bound again. It really is making things go so quickly that I can't give it up just yet. Maybe if I ever get down to only 10 or 15 projects, I'll consider hand binding again. How are you doing on finishing? Any progress? Amanda Jean is now sponsoring a Finish-it-up Friday Mr. Linky. Finish something this week, and you can link up over on her blog. Then you can go look at what everyone else is finishing and be inspired too! Good luck this week. You can do it!!

Pinwheels in the Park Finished!

2011-10-17T06:28:00.005-05:00

Did you think I forgot about this quilt? I actually finished it SO long ago (you know, like 3 weeks or so), but I have been so busy getting my husband out the door and then getting ready for the birth fair that I haven't had time to blog. (As an aside, since I haven't had time to blog, I have yet to mention that I am moving. The Bossy Quilter will be in the same virtual location, but my family and I will be moving to Connecticut. Exciting for us, but it has really cut into my blogging time.) Okay. Back to the quilt.

Possibly my favorite block. Possibly my second favorite.

You might remember that Kerri was making this quilt and asked if anyone wanted to quilt along. I don't know if I quilted along on their schedule, but this is definitely the fastest I've ever finished a quilt-along.

Bliss dots for binding. Because I'm trying to finish a lot of things very quickly (because I'm tired of the ginormous number on my WIPs list), I have taken to binding by machine -- stitch onto the back, flip to the front, topstitch. I like the look of hand binding better, but this is going much faster. I'm into faster right now. This is my second daughter's current favorite. It's smaller than I thought it would be (should've read the directions instead of skimming them), but it's a good size for her. I really love this one too. Kinda makes me wish I were a little shorter so my toes didn't stick out. Kinda.

Pinwheel Sampler Finished

2011-10-14T09:55:00.003-05:00

I did finish this last week, but I'm just now getting around to blogging about it, so I'm going to link it. It was for my UFO Challenge. I'm so behind on that now that I'm not even sure what number was supposed to go to which month. But I know I should've finished this a while ago.

This was Rachel's Pinwheel Sampler Quilt-Along from last year. Just now finished it, yup. I added a few extra pinwheels, because I wanted it to be a little bit longer.

Scrappy back made from whatever was left. I had found some other FQs on sale at my LQS. The fabrics are Aster Manor by 3 Sisters for Moda. That main brown on the back, however, is from Shangri-La -- also by 3 Sisters for Moda if I'm not mistaken. Loopy meander. I'm in a hurry to finish a bunch, so I'm just using the ol' stand-by to bang these out. Also, I'm machine binding (gasp!). It's so much faster. Did I say that already?

The sunlight makes this harder to see, but I like this block. I wanted to try a different-colored background than just white or cream. This may be too dark, but in some ways I think it makes it more formal.

I love this simple, framed pinwheel. And these colors -- the coralish red with the browns and pinks -- these are my colors. I just love how cozy they feel to me. I tell you, I'm going to finish my UFO challenge by the end of this year -- even though I'm behind and even though I'm moving. I can do it!!! Right? I'll just keep saying that to myself over and over, and then maybe it'll come true.

The Birth Fair

2011-10-12T13:08:00.000-05:00

Now, you might ask, as did one of my friends, "What in the heck is a birth fair?" Well, it is the Tarrant County Birth Network's fundraiser. One of my dear friends is a childbirth educator and helps to organize this. I thought, "Why not? I make baby stuff." Here is what my booth looked like.

This was my very first craft fair. I didn't know what to expect -- not from any craft fair, and certainly not from the birth fair. It was smaller than I expected. But I learned a few things, and I gained some experience on what things to prepare, what not to stress about. I'm sure each craft fair is different, though, too, so who knows if I learned the right things.

Ooh! Sorry about that reflection. I took a bunch of pictures of it, and they all came out with that same glare. And my pinwheel quilt looks cream. It's not. It's white. (Later posts to come for each of these quilts.)

Some women told me that they had seen my booth on Facebook, and that was the reason they came down to the birth fair. Well, at least it was pretty. No guts, no glory. I put myself out there, and I feel proud of myself. I really have never tried to sell anything that I have made, thinking it wasn't good enough or that people wouldn't value it. Well, they might NOT value it, but I learned that I know my own worth as a seamstress and a quilter. And it doesn't come from outside sources.

I was modern before I knew it.

2011-10-11T20:49:00.004-05:00

I made these quilt tops about 10 years ago back when I had no money and was getting free fabric from a friend's stash. She would go quilting at the senior citizen's center, and all kinds of people would just drop off their grandmother's fabric and UFOs after she died. (Seriously.)

The initial plan was to put them on my girls' twin beds, but I didn't have a machine that could do free-motion quilting, and so they sat in the pile of flimsies waiting to be HAND quilted. Well, that pile grew pretty quickly. I liked to piece more than I liked to hand quilt. Anyway, now my girls are in a full-sized bed, the twin mattresses having been usurped by the boys for their bunk beds. They are not identical. I just made random butterflies. Some of the fabrics are decidedly . . . unpretty, let's say. What did I know back then? Apparently, I did know that bright colors and white were the way to go. (May I just say that the triangle border took longer to make than the whole rest of the quilt top?!)

The idea was that the butterflies were to rest on top of the mattress and the squares to hang down. If I ever get these quilted, we'll see if they work out that way. I wonder what I have that can go on the back.

Framed Cars

2011-09-08T08:42:00.004-05:00

I don't know where the time has gone. I really have been working on things -- mostly backs and quilting without binding. (I know, I know.) I did finally finish this little cutie for my friend's little cutie. She adopted him back in April. She got it last week. (I know, I know.)

I'm really down to scraps of Riley Blake's Wheels, but I love it so much, so I'm not wasting a thing if I can help it.

I used a few other lines to finish out the frames. It's really such a great way to use up little pieces of your favorite fabrics.

This quilt finished at about 36"x48" -- perfect baby size.

Some of my hand-dyed muslin on the back. I love the slight marbling you get from hand-dying (and not being perfect at it). I think this used up the last of that cars print too. I'm not completely sure, though -- there might be some scraps left to make another quilt. ;) Oh the scrap/WIP dilemma.

Pinwheels in the Park

2011-08-12T05:37:00.001-05:00

I tried to take photos outside again, but Texas and its wind was vexing me immediately. Kerri is making this quilt and asked if anyone wanted to quilt along. I kind of got ahead of her schedule, but this is probably where I'll get behind anyway, so it's good I worked ahead.

I started with Riley Blake's Love Birds and took my color palette from there. The rest are things from a variety of different lines. I actually have the back made. Now just for the quilting and the binding. Let's hope I can keep this roll going! (And then I need to get back to my farmer's wife blocks, which I am woefully behind on.)

Sigh . . .

2011-08-11T10:14:00.003-05:00

I have been working on this quilt for at least 7 or 8 years. It is one of those long-term projects for someday finishing. There are 64 appliqued sunflowers. A couple of weeks ago, I had finished all the blocks! I laid it all out, and found that I was missing one. Did I only make 63, or did I lose it? Who knows. So I had decided to make one more.

So I sewed them all in rows so that when I finished the one more, I could just stitch it on and be ready to go. Then I found this one day.

And this. And this.

So I guess I'll be making four more instead of one. Maybe it's five. I don't know. Now it will probably take another year, because I don't even want to look at it. Ah, children who are trying to help. He was so proud of himself, because he "made" my quilt. No, buddy, you kind of UNmade it. Truly, I'm surprised this hasn't happened before now with all the kids I have running around here. Good thing I enjoy the process, right?

Kaleidoscope finished!!!!

2011-08-05T14:48:00.005-05:00

ETA: I guess I misunderstood. I was OVER the wire. The FQs were already given away. But I actually finished this, and that is a prize in and of itself.

And just under the wire too! Elizabeth had an incentive to finish by today -- some lovely FQs. I wasn't sure it was going to happen, but lo, and behold. Here it is.

I had it laying on the floor last week, and my husband looked at it and said, "It looks like a kaleidoscope." I asked if he was mocking me, because, you know, husbands do that sometimes. "Did you know that's what it was called?" He said he didn't. So . . . mission accomplished. My pieced (scrounged up) back. It has some scrunchy, puckering issues, because I have some technical difficulties with machines right now. I think once I wash it, it will be just fine. Crossing fingers. Cuz I'm not undoing it. I still have 79 projects on deck. Onward! It's in the washing machine now. So I can snuggle it later. Maybe. It IS 106 outside right now. Which is actually 4 degrees cooler than usual around here. ;)

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you finish something this month! We're just at the beginning!

China Doll

2011-07-29T08:20:00.004-05:00

A couple of years ago I saw and decided I MUST HAVE some Michael Miller China Doll fabric. I'm not sure where online I found it, but I got something like 4 yards of it. It was getting kind of scarce then, so I'm not sure if I could even find some now. I love it. I think it's so sweet. But it has just sat there for the past couple of years.

Then I found this tutorial, and I decided it would be perfect for that fabric. Sometimes I run out of ideas for my larger print novelty fabrics.

Of course, if you know me at all, you know I made mine bigger -- 56" x 72". Instead of making 16 of each block, I made (31) of the 4-patch blocks and cut (32) of the larger blocks. Depending on your fabric width, you should be able to get either 4 or 5 of the 8 1/2 inch squares out of the novelty print. So for my size quilt, you would need about 2 yards of the novelty fabric. Cut this into seven strips that are 8 1/2" x WOF. Then sub-cut each of these strips into (5) 8 1/2" squares. If you can only get 4 squares from each strip, then cut 8 strips to get your (32) 8 1/2" squares.

For the (31) 4-patch blocks you will need to cut (124) 4 1/2" squares. You can use fat quarters or quarter yards -- or just use your scraps. You will need at least 7 FQs to get the correct number of squares for your 4-patches.

After you have cut and made all your blocks, lay the quilt out in a 7 block by 9 block pattern starting (and finishing) the first row with one of the 8 1/2" novelty blocks, alternating blocks as you go.

EDITED TO ADD:

Okay. I have been searching and searching for where I found this tutorial. I think I linked from blog to blog until I found it. Then I forgot to bookmark it, and now I cannot find it again. The original quilt was baby-sized, and it had these cute surfboards for the main fabric. I'll keep looking, but if anyone knows where this is, PLEASE, tell me so I can link back to it.

Soldiering on.

2011-07-26T06:33:00.000-05:00

Made with MoMo's Freebirds line.

I feel like all my posts are too similar lately -- one picture and either a bag or a flimsy. But other than the QALs that I couldn't stop myself from joining, I have been trying to finish up older projects. I have made 6 or 7 backs for quilt tops that have been lying around a while. So even though my sidebar number is actually going up, I am making progress towards finishing things.

This is Old Red Barn QAL #6 -- Hexies. I think they're up to #9 or something. I had all these in rows and just had to sew them together. I was thinking initially that it wasn't big enough and that maybe I would add a border. However, in the interest of ever finishing this, I think I'll just keep it as-is. I have some leftover layer cake squares that I can put on the back -- along with perhaps a solid. Sometimes I despair of ever getting my numbers down, but I'm just going to keep at it and hope I get there. In the meantime, I am having fun. I really love the process of quilting, and I focus more on that than the finishing. It's why I have so many WIPs, but it's also why quilting is so relaxing for me. I don't force myself to do something I don't want to do very often. I just set things aside and wait until I'm ready to go back to them. My WIPs are a little overwhelming to me sometimes, but mostly they're not. Maybe I'm loathe to finish them BECAUSE I enjoy the process so much. I don't want it to be over. Or maybe I just get distracted by new things too easily. That's probably the more likely explanation. ;)

Repetitive.

2011-07-25T06:27:00.000-05:00

I can't promise that this is the last bag of this sort you will see. I suppose I should branch out, but this one just makes up SO quickly!

For my daughter's friend's birthday gift. Fun and summery! I should probably iron it a little better, though. :/ Tutorial here. Go make your own. Seriously. It's so easy.

Another Whimsy Flimsy.

2011-07-22T07:10:00.001-05:00

It's possible that I'm a little loopy from lack of sleep, but the phrase "Whimsy Flimsy" keeps cracking me up. Yeah, I'm funny. I know. ;)

From Amanda Jean's Round and Round QAL last year. I only had the last two rows (well, four if you count the sashing strips) on either end to finish, but I had to put it away for a rest. I just pulled it out this week and finished it up really quickly. I just have to do that sometimes -- put things away while they're daunting. They don't feel so difficult after some time has passed. Now I have to buy something for the backing. I only had a FQ pack, and I've made two quilts from it already. Plus, I'm doing a Farmer's Wife quilt with what's left. Made from Joanna Figueroa's Whimsy line.

A little windy.

2011-07-21T11:49:00.003-05:00

It's a little windy today. This is how my first attempt at photographing this quilt went. I need some of those big clamps to clip the quilts to the fence, I guess. (Please, ignore my weeds. Our weed-eater is having technical difficulties.)

This time the wind is helping to keep it against the fence. You can hardly see the kaleidoscope pattern, but I had to give up for now. I'll have better pics when it's finished. It has the same color palette as this quilt, because it came from the same pile of fabrics. What can I say? I thought they were pretty.

What I'd really like to point out here is that I am STILL caught up with the QAL. Now I just need to get caught up with my Farmer's Wife quilts.

Another bag.

2011-07-20T06:12:00.000-05:00

When my four-year-old saw the bag I had made, he wanted one to carry his books and toys around in. So he chose some fabrics, and away we went. Here is the finished product.

And he carries around all kinds of things in it. I even found him carrying his Playskool bus in it. I now have requests from 3 other little boys for their own bag.

It finished itself . . .

2011-07-19T06:26:00.002-05:00

There were 80 of these blocks, which seemed rather daunting. So I used them to chain sew through other projects. I joked before that it was going to finish itself, and it kind of did. Other than when I pieced the rows together, I really didn't focus on this quilt as "what I was working on." So it felt like it finished itself.

Now if I could just get it to QUILT itself. (Tutorial here.)

A little decorating . . .

2011-07-18T05:58:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not much of a decorator -- or much of a finisher. I've been teaching some sewing classes to some of my friends' daughters, and I had to make some samples. I figured I might as well make some samples to match my boys' room.

And a banner.

This is not its final destination, obviously, but I was displaying it for the girls to see. I think it will eventually end up at the top of their curtain (that I haven't made yet).

King David's Crown block #1

2011-07-12T06:51:00.001-05:00

One down . . . 19 more to go.

But at least I have 5 more cut out and ready to piece. Yes, there are Y seams in this one. And some of them didn't go so well. I am assuming that I will get better as I go along. I'm using some older fabric lines all mixed together -- City Girl by Kitty Yoshida for Benartex, Shangri-La by 3 Sisters for Moda, Chez Moi by Sentimental Studios for Moda and a whole bunch of other things that match. I can't even remember them all right now. I love this block, though, and still would love to do it in a bright pastel palette.

Caught up!

2011-07-11T08:37:00.002-05:00

Usually with a quilt-along, I don't manage to actually quilt along with everyone else. I get sidetracked. I don't finish. Now, I haven't finished yet, but I'm to the spot where we're supposed to be. All my blocks are finished and awaiting layout.

So maybe something like this.

I used these same fabrics (except the white) in my Running in Circles quilt. That stack of fabric (the second one) went farther than just the one quilt. I'm trying to use up my stash, but its half-life makes me think it'll never reach zero even if I don't buy anything new. Even after two quilts, there's still some left. That means I'll have to think up a new project. I wonder if I can do that! :) Happy quilting!

Another pile . . .

2011-07-08T06:48:00.000-05:00

. . . This one is of Kaleidoscope pieces. Now to add the white. I'm actually quilting along this time. Cross your fingers for me to keep up. Off to the sewing room to finish this up!

Summer job chart

2011-07-07T06:33:00.000-05:00

Have you already exhausted all your summer ideas one month into the summer? Are your kids bored? Is your house trashed? May I present one solution? The summer job chart. Each job they perform is worth one space around here -- clean bathroom sink = 1; clean toilet = 1; unload/reload dishwasher = 1; make bed =1. You get the idea. For younger children, you may want to give them two points per job or they might never finish.

I just took pieces of poster board and drew a little path and then sectioned it off. The kids helped me color and stamp it. About every 20 to 25 spaces there is a reward -- ice cream at McDonald's, a slurpee, a trip to the dollar store, a book at Half-Price Books, et cetera. The prizes get more expensive near the end ($10 at store of their choice) culminating in a summer movie of their choice. I made a marker for each child using some Stampin' Up stamps I have, colored them in and then "laminated" them with packaging tape. I use masking tape on the back, but you could easily magnetize them and put the game on the refrigerator. I'm thinking mine might go there next year.

My kids ask me for work, and I already got all of my downstairs blinds cleaned on the first day I put it up (which was just last week -- a little late this year). I made this chart a couple of summers ago and have saved it to reuse. I don't use it every summer, because the kids get bored of it. I alternate it with other things, but we're back to it this year. So go make your own game so your kids will stop complaining that they're bored and will start cleaning your house. :)

In which I actually finish something . . .

2011-07-06T06:29:00.000-05:00

I feel like I've been showing a lot more of my process lately and not much that's finished. So here's a little bag that I finished using this tutorial. I will now have to make a whole bunch more. It was so easy.

Kaleidoscope QAL

2011-07-05T06:23:00.000-05:00

You might remember these piles of fabric. I finally cut into one of them, and I have all my kaleidoscope pieces cut. Now I just need to cut the background triangles. Quilt along with Elizabeth if you want to.

More Farmer's Wife Blocks

2011-07-04T09:16:00.003-05:00

You may remember I am doing two iterations of this quilt -- one from Whimsy and one from It's a Hoot. I think I only have 8 blocks, so I'm still behind, but here are a few more to catch me up a little bit.

Hope you have a Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans!

It doesn't count until you cut into the fabrics.

2011-06-23T07:54:00.000-05:00

Right? At least, that's what I'm telling myself. This first stack is for this quilt. I'm probably going to throw some red in there too, but I don't have a red solid right now. But I think it needs it.

This is for the Kaleidoscope Quilt-Along by Don't Call Me Betsy (see button on side). Instructions come on June 23rd, so I haven't actually started (although this one IS on my list already).

I've had these fabrics for years -- given to me by a friend. They are quite old, but I love the striations in the colors. I'm thinking mostly pinwheels with white for contrast. But then there are some pieces that are rounded, so I may make some circle blocks (or quarter-circle blocks, as the case may be). But I haven't cut the pieces out, so it doesn't count. It's just sitting there inspiring me.

What's kicking around in your head that you haven't started yet (but are secretly aching to)?

This one's for Amanda Jean.

2011-06-22T07:45:00.000-05:00

I'm halfway done piecing my blocks! I wasn't going to do this one, got a wild hair, cut all the blocks out at once, and now I'm piecing them as an afterthought to other projects. So I'm halfway done without even feeling it. Check out Amanda Jean's quilt here. Tutorial here.

And cross your fingers that I finish this one without knowing it. ;)

I am weak . . . so very, very weak.

2011-06-20T19:03:00.002-05:00

But have you seen this quilt? I think it was Camille's version that put me over the top. I have two FQ packs that I have already used for quilts and have tons left over -- Whimsy by Fig Tree Quilts and It's a Hoot by Momo. I have decided to do two iterations of this quilt in those fabric lines. Because I don't have enough projects already. They go together so quickly, though.

I'm behind -- I think they're on week 4 -- but I'll catch up quickly. And then I'll taper off halfway through. At least, I'm pretty sure that's how it'll happen. Because I'm quite familiar with myself. :) I'm going to try to transcend, but I'm also pretty realistic. But I do love this so far. Have you jumped on the bandwagon yet? If not, you can check it out here and maybe you'll be tempted like me. Unless you happen to have more willpower than I do. :)

Oops -- yet still there is progress.

2011-06-18T09:53:00.005-05:00

Remember this -- from the previous post, right? See that black square that indicates one of the stops -- the one hanging out in the middle of nowhere with no subway line going to it? I thought that looked odd.

That's probably because it's supposed to be gray. I did a fast print job, and that line ended up looking white apparently. So it's fixed now, and . . .

I have two rows finished! The rows aren't sewn TO each other yet, but I have finished 10 of 25 blocks (and the blocks ARE sewn into the two rows). Now that everything is cut out, it's going together pretty quickly. I'm enjoying the piecing of this quilt.

If you have been thinking of making this quilt (ahem), don't be afraid. The cutting is the most daunting part. Even with the couple of blocks I've had to redo part of. (Yes, it was more than one.) Happy quilting! I hope you all have finished something this week! (I have a couple of finishes that cannot be shown yet, because they have not yet arrived at their final destinations. Can't ruin the surprises.)

2011-06-09T05:56:00.000-05:00

Do you remember Elizabeth Hartman's Tokyo Subway Map Quilt-Along? I love the quilt, but I think I was daunted by all the little pieces to cut out. I started cutting with her when the QAL started, but then I took a break. I didn't feel like I had enough of any of the colors to make a varied quilt. Plus, I'm sure I was just working on other things. Anyway, the last few weeks I have been cutting like crazy to finish up the amounts I needed. I still need a few dark blue squares, but there weren't any in this first block. So there, the first block is done.

I increased the size of my squares from 2" cut to 2 1/2" cut. It will be 80" square when finished instead of 60". And I opted not to cut all my white squares individually. I am amazed at how quickly this went together, though. The cutting was daunting, but the piecing is not. I look forward to whipping out a few more of these very soon. Elizabeth's instructions and designs are always so well-thought-out and clear. I love working from her patterns.

Thinking about . . .

2011-06-07T05:50:00.000-05:00

I saw a lovely bright version of this King David's Crown quilt, so I thought I'd do my own. Of course, it's in the pattern-drafting stage, which means the actual fabric version is a long way away. But it's on my mind.

Scrap reduction

2011-06-05T09:42:00.002-05:00

I threw these together this week. There's actually a second one of this first one with the rows completed. I'm down to scraps of the Nicey Jane and the Wheels collections -- just trying to find creative ways to use them up.

Of course, the scraps aren't completely gone, so I'll have to be creative again. :)

I'm joining . . .

2011-06-02T10:55:00.002-05:00

I have wanted to make one of these for quite some time. So I'm going to join. Don't judge. Yes, I'll add it to the sidebar. I've been pretty good this year about not starting QALs. And this has been in my brain for a while. I'm so excited!

Lest we forget . . .

2011-05-29T22:03:00.002-05:00

Remember this? (Scroll down.) I nearly finished it in February. It just needed binding. In fact, I got the binding on it about a week into March. And then I kept forgetting to blog about it. So here it finally is. Elizabeth Hartman's Paintbox QAL.

My helpers were being silly.

Loopy meander again. Not enough gray to finish the binding. I chose gray because there are SO MANY colors in this already, and I couldn't choose one over another. Black was going to be too heavy. I like how the gray turned out.

The lovely back.

Silly helpers again.

My oldest has adopted this as her favorite quilt. For now. I've got a crazy circle quilt top that she has her eye on. Unfortunately, it's not on my list of UFOs to finish this year. :/

I already took this one off of my number, so it will not be going down at all. The previous two quilts didn't even make the list, so my number didn't go down with those either. And I have other baby quilts that I need to start (and, of course, FINISH) that will not reduce my number either. But I am happy to see it in the 60s. Hoping it will at least stay there or creep into the 50s. I want to be able to start new projects guilt-free. Ha ha. :)

Jack's Quilt

2011-05-20T07:11:00.003-05:00

Does this look familiar? It's the leftovers of this quilt. Of course, there are still more leftovers. I do love all these colors together. This one was for my son's first-grade teacher who was also my second daughter's first grade teacher. Her husband was my oldest daughter's 7th grade history teacher and my oldest son's football coach. So, you see, we have connections. It's their first baby, and they needed something special. I don't always give quilts to my kids' teachers.

A lot of Riley Blake's Wheels in there, plus some It's a Hoot by Momo, some Riley Blake Rainy Days and Mondays, Love Birds, plus some orange that I dyed myself. The back is a Michael Miller robot print.

Loopy meander -- my go-to pattern.

Bound in brown Quilter's Only.

Already in its new home.

MY Easy as Pie

2011-05-10T13:43:00.003-05:00

I have been out for quite a while. Two weeks of my MIA status can be accounted for by the flu, during which no sewing and very little standing or sitting took place. After that it has been catch-up as well as making samples for some classes I will be teaching here. They aren't scheduled yet, and we just have beginner classes added for now. But keep checking back, because I'm ramping up.

Anyway, so I finished my Easy as Pie quilt from Amanda Jean's tutorial. I never put it on my list, and I was hoping to finish MUCH sooner than I did. Again, I'm going to blame it on the flu. But it is done now and getting ready to be wrapped and given to its intended owner.

All from my stash -- including backing and binding. The backing wasn't quite enough, so I added a single row of coins to widen it -- just leftovers from what I cut for the front.

The girl's favorite colors are blue and purple, so I'm hoping she loves it. I quilted a loopy meander in grey.

Using my stash

2011-04-06T04:59:00.001-05:00

You may know that Amanda Jean is trying to help us use our stash this year by offering a free pattern each month of quick ways to use up what we've got. Well, I need to do that AND I need to whittle down my scraps, but this is the year of the FINISH. I'm focusing on my UFOs, so I haven't been making Amanda Jean's lovely patterns. Until this month. Well, it was March's pattern, but she posted on the 31st of March, and I read it on the 1st of April.

This is her Easy As Pie pattern, and let me tell you -- it IS. I read the post last Friday and made the top the same day. I am posting it now only because I already had two posts on Friday for my UFO Challenge (which is coming along quite nicely, thank you for asking). My oldest daughter has a friend who has been driving her home from theater practices, performances, and competitions for the past couple of years. It has helped me so greatly that I am making her a quilt as a thank you. Since I am notorious for not finishing things (!), I decided it had better be something quick and easy.

Her favorite colors are blue and purple. And I have a lot of purple right now thanks to Jill. Well, it has diminished just a little thanks to Amanda Jean. Here's hoping I'm so speedy that I don't even have to add it to my sidebar. ;)

Birdie Stitches #2

2011-04-04T06:55:00.000-05:00

I finished this in February, but I don't think I ever posted it. I made the block for March, but I haven't even drawn it on the muslin yet. And now April's is ready. I'll have to catch up. :/

March's 2011 UFO Challenge #2

2011-04-01T15:54:00.002-05:00

Stacked coins from a jelly roll I won a couple years ago. It's Spring Magic by April Cornell.

Each coin is 2"x5" finished. There are 35 coins in each stack. The sashing and borders are also 5" finished. There are 6 coin stacks. The finished quilt is approximately 65"x80" before washing. This is a Quilter's Only solid. I think it's called Honeydew, but I'm not sure. :/ Can you see my organic line quilting? Also a first for me. I did three lines in each coin and did not quilt on the seams. I did not continue the lines from edge to edge, but left the borders free. I then just quilted around the border with three lines to sort of frame it. I LOVE how it turned out.

I may not be the only one who feels that way. :)

March's 2011 UFO Challenge #1

2011-04-01T15:37:00.004-05:00

I was going to show you all this last week -- when it was in progress -- but I never made it happen.

And now it looks like this. All finished in time for Judy's 2011 Challenge! It's made from Nicey Jane and uses Amy Butler's Lotus Brick Path pattern -- except I made mine into a quilt instead of a throw with tassels and no batting.

Large pebble quilting -- my first time. I'm surprised at how quickly it went -- very easy -- and I LOVE the way it pops on the quilt.

All those polka dots on the back, mmmm.

Juice Boxes with Wheels

2011-03-14T06:00:00.003-05:00

I saw this quilt on Allison's blog and liked it so much that I knew I had to make my own version of it. Hers is made from a fresher color palette, which I like, but I used what I had around here. I had previously purchased a FQ pack of Riley Blake's Wheels plus some yardage. That's mostly what this is.

I added some solids and other prints that I had -- some things from It's a Hoot by Momo.

I was trying to show you the little car in the window, but if you look closely you can also see where my machine skipped stitches and I had to sew back over those spots again. You can't see it? Thicker stitching lines? I doubt the mama who got this will notice either. I keep being reminded that it's okay if my quilts aren't perfect.

On the back are the cars print from Riley Blake, some Quilter's Only in I don't know what color, and some muslin that I dyed orange with RIT dye that I bought at WalMart. It's not the most colorfast dye (as I'm learning), so it fades some. I need to invest in some better fabric dyes, but for now, I just use what's around.

Brown Quilter's Only for the binding. I like it just as well as the Kona, and sometimes my Joann's has better colors of QO than they do of Kona. (Do you just love my patchy green grass? Spring is trying to show up around here.)

It's a Hoot, Baby!

2011-03-11T07:41:00.000-06:00

I have been to so many baby showers lately, and each quilt I have given was made specifically for the mama and baby, so I have had no trouble giving up the quilt when it came time. This one was made specifically for the mama and baby too. She's a dear friend, whom I love to death. Oh, but I had a hard time giving this one up.

Burp cloths from top to bottom: 1) Amy Butler, Midwest Modern; 2) Joann's; 3) Lila Tueller, Santorini; 4) Fabric warehouses in Dallas?

All of the squares were made from It's a Hoot by Momo for Moda.

Binding is one of the fabulous polka dots from Bonnie and Camille's Bliss line for Moda.

Too much of a good thing?

2011-03-09T06:37:00.000-06:00

I think not.

Reformation.

2011-03-07T06:26:00.000-06:00

So it's clear I'm not all that reformed. Corey started one of these, and I realized that I had some of that red polka dot. So it had to be done.

I have almost all the blades cut and sewn for 20 Dresden Plates. I'm not sure what to put in the center, but it will be a larger circle than the hole that is currently there. In the interest of actually finishing this one, I will be machine appliqueing. I know how I am with applique by hand. I love it, but I'm not that diligent. I have enough handwork projects right now anyway.

Freedom!

2011-03-04T13:07:00.004-06:00

Freedom from one more UFO hanging over my head. And also, yeah, it's a patriotic quilt. Kinda thinking I'll just call it Freedom.

If you haven't heard me say this before, I LOVE patriotic quilts. I saw this one in a quilting book (can't remember the name or FIND it at the moment -- sewing room is still not completely put back together). I started it a LONG time ago. I had an older friend who would give me fabric all the time when I was first starting out quilting. This quilt is made entirely from scraps from her scrap pile. I think even the white is. I did go buy this lovely toile for the back -- I think it's depicting scenes from the Revolutionary War.

Sawtooth Stars inside Log Cabins. And Log Cabins inside Sawtooth Stars.

It is already keeping us warm. It's on my UFO Challenge list (see sidebar), so whenever that month comes, I'll be ahead of the game. I think I have turned over a new leaf around here. Maybe. :)

February UFO Challenge Finishes

2011-03-01T21:48:00.003-06:00

This month I had initially planned to do whatever number Judy had drawn. So I was all set to do my #10 UFO. I have looked nearly everywhere, however, and I cannot find the rest of the fabrics to finish it. I have a bag somewhere with the border fabrics in it, can't find it. Anyway, so as a result, I decided last week to try to finish my February projects and try to do the correct number next month. :) Again. (Sigh.)

So for February, I bound my ORB#1 quilt. It is now on my girls' bed. Hooray for that!

Elizabeth Hartman's Paintbox QAL from last year. Earlier today, this is what it looked like. I kept trying to get it basted this past weekend, but it did not pan out. So I did it today. And quilted it. So now it looks like . . .

THIS!

What? You say you don't see any binding? Yeah, that's because I just barely finished quilting it, and I'm too tired to do any more. So it's not completely finished, but it's very close. And I'm getting better at binding my quilts once they're quilted. I suspect it will be finished in short order.

Back.

I suppose I could have gotten a close-up of the quilting. But I didn't. Loop-de-loops. Some big, some small. I'll show some close-ups when it's bound and washed and dried. I'm pretty pleased with what I accomplished in so short a time. I'm kinda wishing I had decided to go this route sooner, though. Then maybe it would already be bound.

Fussy Framed Flimsy

2011-02-17T05:50:00.000-06:00

I showed you some of these blocks recently, and I was so pleased with them that I had to put the entire top together. Usually all of my WIPs become UFOs in short order, so I am really happy that this is at least to flimsy stage. One of the problems I have, though, is when I buy the FQ pack, I don't ever have enough for a backing. Luckily this is a relatively new fabric line, so I should be able to find something still. (I'm thinking the green dot for the back and the hot pink dot for the binding.)

Love the green dot! I can't wait to snuggle under this one!

Approximately 56"x72".

Inspired by this quilt.

Fabric is It's a Hoot by Momo.

Some new flimsies

2011-02-16T06:33:00.000-06:00

My quilt-alongs from last year are getting closer to being done. One of my goals for this year is to finish all the quilt-alongs from last year. I don't know if this is possible, because I went a little crazy last year. We shall see. This is Elizabeth's paintbox QAL.

This is Rachel's Pinwheel Sampler QAL. I added a few more blocks to make it a little bigger. I think the original ended up to be square, and I prefer rectangular quilts (unless they're for my girls' full-sized bed). It's made from Three Sisters' Astor Manor. A little different from my norm, but I do still like it. I just had a layer cake, though, so I don't have a plan for the back.

Onward and upward. Some day my UFO number will be below 50 -- and I hope very, very soon. :) Are you finishing anything or just starting new projects (SO hard to resist)!

Santorini Charmed Whirligig

2011-02-14T06:40:00.000-06:00

As Jill tells me, I am on a roll so far this year. I made this top back when Cathy had her first Charmed Whirligig Quilt-along. She's actually doing round two right now if you want to join in. I just finished binding it a couple nights ago.

I did spirals on the whirligigs. They are far from perfect, but from far away, you don't notice. And it's practice that makes perfect, so I'll just keep practicing. (I stippled around the border.)

The scrappy back. All ready to be snuggled under.

Urban Legends

2011-02-11T13:57:00.002-06:00

I suppose you've all heard these urban legends where people find hard-to-find Heather Ross fabrics in the FQ bins @ Joann's? Well, ever since I first read of someone doing this, I've been checking the FQ bundles. I didn't find any Heather Ross, but I did find . . .

In case you don't recognize this, it's Red Letter Day by Lizzy House. There were two bundles, and I got them both.

A little whimsy

2011-02-09T06:47:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned how I love all things Fig Tree? I have coveted and drooled over her fabric lines for a long time (since Dandelion Girl), but I had been in a fabric-buying moratorium for a long time. But last year, I got to buy some Whimsy (cough, cough, a whole FQ pack).

This is just one of the things that I did with it. I also used it for Amanda Jean's #5 Quilt-Along (UFO). And I have a whole bunch of it left still too. :D

A view from the side.

This quilt was inspired by lots of other quilts I've seen around the blogosphere using squares and frames. This is my own take on that same concept. It was actually a lot of fun to design and piece. It's amazing what you can do with graph paper. ;)

Dana will be so proud!

2011-02-07T06:37:00.002-06:00

For those of you who are familiar with Old Red Barn Co (and really, who isn't?), you will recognize this quilt from Dana's very first quilt-along. And it's finally done. It's on my 2011 UFO Challenge list, but not for this month necessarily. (I'm supposed to do #10, but I got on a binding kick, and now it's done. I'm ahead!) Anyway, it is now washed and crinkly and on my girls' bed. Just in time too, because we've been having very cold (for us) nights (and days) around here.

The blocks are 12" square, so the finished quilt is 72" x 84". It's a mix of mostly Tickled Pink by Robyn Pandolph and Provincial Garden by -- hmm . . . I don't know.

It's a Papertrey Ink Anniversary Party!

2011-02-06T17:14:00.003-06:00

February is the anniversary month of Papertrey Ink, my favorite stamping supply company. I haven't blogged about cards in a long time, but that's not because I haven't been making them. I still keep thinking I should have a separate blog for that, but . . . I can barely keep up this blog, and my family blog is sadly neglected at present. Anyway, in order to win a really wonderful prize, I have made some cards to increase my chance of winning. The first one uses the free downloadable tag from Maile Belles.

I LOVE pinwheels. I have made more pinwheel quilts than almost any other kind -- except maybe for stars. Hmm. I'll have to count. Anyway, um, this isn't a quilting post. This is a card post. Sorry for the divergence!

Bubbly

2011-02-06T17:08:00.003-06:00

This was Tiffany Pastor's tag. It just reminded me of ocean waves, so I had to do the bubble impression on the background. A little strip of glitter at the top. (May I just confess that that blue @ the top is because my impression plate didn't cover the whole front? Oops.)

I'm excited, because these are so easily reproducible that I have my ideas for card swap for a long time (and I've been cutting multiples, so a lot of these are halfway done, and card swap isn't till the last Friday of the month)! Holy run-on sentence, Batman. Sorry about that. (I'm excited.)

Another card.

2011-02-06T17:04:00.002-06:00

This was Alli Miles' tag. The flower has Martha Stewart clear glitter on it and some fuschia glitter glue in the center. I'm pretty sure that was off the dollar rack at Joann's.

I love black, and white, and pink together. Elegant and fun at the same time.

Happy Birthday to you!

2011-02-06T16:57:00.002-06:00

This was Nicole's gift to us in honor of PTI's anniversary. Thanks, Nicole! So far it has been fun!

I'm in love!

2011-02-04T07:00:00.001-06:00

This is for another friend's baby -- obviously a girl this time. It's made from Momo's It's a Hoot (in case you don't recognize her fabulous stuff)! I told my husband it was going to be hard to give this one away. He said, "Don't." I tell ya, if it were any bigger, I might take his advice. ;)

I'm hoping my friend will love it as much as I do. Now, what to put on the back . . .

Juice Boxes with Wheels

2011-02-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

I have a friend who is having a baby boy this spring, so naturally he needed a quilt. I'm not one to make baby boys' quilts in light blue. I prefer boyish colors right from the start. I again used some of my Wheels from Riley Blake. It's not all gone, but it's getting there. That makes me happy when things get used up. Usually they just hang around.

Now to get it quilted and bound. Still having technical difficulties, so we'll see if I can swing that any time soon. I can sew straight, but I'm having free-motion issues still.

(Inspired by this quilt.)

2011 UFO Challenge -- January finishes

2011-02-01T10:19:00.002-06:00

So I didn't read the challenge rules very well, apparently, because I didn't pay attention to the fact that there would be a draw for the number. In January we were supposed to do #6 on our list. I just did #1, because I planned these especially for January. I will be on track for the rest of the months. When Judy draws #1, I will do #6. Anyway, here are my two finishes for January, #1 on my list.

1. Plaid pinwheels. I'm not sure of the exact dimensions, but it's on my king-sized bed.

It is definitely larger than it looks in this picture.

2. Amanda Jean's Round 2 Nine-Patch quilt-along. It's approximately twin-sized. Yep, I quilted it in red. It was an experiment. Still deciding how I feel about it.

For February we are to work on #10 on our list. I'd better go see what that is! Good luck with your challenge!

Flea Market Fancy -- Momo style.

2011-01-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

Erin has been showing a number of quilts wherein she used Amanda Jean's tutorial. I loved her (Erin's) quilts so much, that I decided to use it for my next baby quilt. It is perfect for this pink and green It's a Hoot version. (I love Amanda Jean's too. I mean, come on, it's made from Flea Market Fancy!)

I'm trying to use up my fabrics while I still love them -- and also to make room for Sherbet Pips when it comes out. I am so coveting that fabric! Sorry for having so many posts with just blocks lately. I cut them all out when my machine was out of commission, and I want to get them finished before they become UFOs. Score one for motivation this week. Don't know where it came from, but I'm not going to complain about it. :)

Fussy Frames

2011-01-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

A while back I got the fat-quarter pack of Momo's It's a Hoot. I love all the dots and leaves and flowers, but she had these very large prints in there as well that I wasn't quite sure what to do with. Then when I was looking at Kate Conklin's blog (Have you been there? I love her stuff!), I came across her tutorial that solved my dilemma. Here is just a sample of what I ended up with. Stay tuned for the finished product. :)

Birdie Stitches

2011-01-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

Have you seen Little Miss Shabby's block-of-the-month. I love embroidery, and of course, we all know I love a quilt-along. Since it's only one block per month, I may actually be able to stay caught up. I actually have cut out all the squares and center blocks (although now I'm wishing I had used linen for the embroidery squares).

(Please, overlook my lovely ironing board. It's well-used.) Corey is using Sunkissed by Sweetwater for Moda in her blocks. I wanted to get some and do mine out of it too, especially since that's what they're using for Blockapalooza (which, yes, I'm going to do that one too). But I'm being good and using my Summer Song up (plus a few other random scraps).

Simplicity

2011-01-20T14:24:00.000-06:00

I was looking back to see if I could link an earlier post about this quilt. I had to go back to 2008. Yup, she's an oldie. Back in September of last year I blogged about my husband going on a Scout campout and getting five quilts basted. This was one of them. Then I quilted all five of them over the next couple of months.

This is the only one that has been bound, and it's only because my friend, Andie, took it home with her in November and bound it for me.

It is so crinkly because I did a very close, small stipple. I think it looks vintage with the soft colors and all the scrunchiness.

Star within a star.

Log cabin in a star.

Strings within a star.

Andie, pretty please, come and bind my other four so that I can snuggle them too! :)

What's a girl to do?!

2011-01-18T14:52:00.003-06:00

Without a sewing machine, I have no choice but to do handwork and cut, cut, cut out lovely fabrics. (Cough, cough) Only one of these is a project that I've already listed. Two are new baby quilts for . . . well, babies that are going to be born. I don't have a stockpile of baby quilts, so I have to make new ones for upcoming baby showers. One is a quilt-along I had planned to start, and one is just because I ran across a lovely tutorial.

Riley Blake's wheels -- based off of this quilt. For a friend's upcoming baby boy.

One I designed and had already started. Made with Fig Tree's Whimsy.

Little Miss Shabby's Block of the Month -- Birdie Stitches. It's a Hoot by Momo -- baby girl quilt based on Amanda Jean's Flea Market Fancy Quilt.

More It's a Hoot by Momo. I had all these huge prints and didn't know what to do with them till I saw this. She has a link to her free tutorial. Okay. Now I need my sewing machine back so I can put all these together!

I wish real coins multiplied like fabric coins.

2011-01-10T14:22:00.002-06:00

Before my second machine broke (yes, she's in the hospital for a week), I was able to sew some of my scrappy strips together and then trim them to 5 1/2 strips.

I still don't have enough to make the throw-sized coin quilt that I want, but I am by no means lacking in scrap strips. Once my daily companion recuperates, I'll be back sewing these strips together. I may have enough to do two quilts. :/ Maybe that's not bad. I think what's bad is the fact that my scrap basket has not diminished in the LEAST. (Maybe that's not bad either.)

I hope you're getting to do more sewing than I am right now!

I'm pretty scrappy.

2011-01-03T10:40:00.000-06:00

Remember how Jodi had a Scraps-Along which I followed along with, entered the giveaways for, never sewed anything with my scraps? (Hangs head in shame.) I planned to, but right before the holidays is hard. Anyway, recently I went through my scraps and pulled out a whole bunch of strips -- all different widths and lengths. See them all ironed up and color-coded?

My quilting group wants to do a stacked coins quilt starting in January like the one I made from a jelly roll. I don't have a jelly roll right now, but I do have tons of scraps, so I decided to modify mine. They'll still be doing the jelly roll version. More to come on this project in the next little while. I'm so excited to be using up scraps! Better late than never.

2011 UFO Challenge!

2010-12-31T09:12:00.007-06:00

Judy over at Patchwork Times is having a 2011 UFO Challenge, and since I have a (gigantic) number of those (see the sidebar), I thought I'd join in -- see if I can whittle down any of my stack. The idea is to do one (or two) per month so we feel focused and not overwhelmed by our UFOs. Well, at least that's my reason for joining. So here's my list!

1. January -- This is Amanda Jean's nine-patch quilt-along from 2009 -- round 2. I did finish round 1 last year. It's half quilted. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift this year. A little late, so I have to finish it in the first week or so.

Also in January I would like to bind this quilt. I'm not showing you the whole thing, but I would like to point out that it is all quilted and already on my bed. So, yeah, it needs some binding.

2. February -- Elizabeth Hartman's Paintbox quilt-along. I did a LOT of QALs this last year and need to finish them up -- to make room for the other ones I won't be able to stop myself from starting in 2011. :) Know thyself, people. Old Red Barn Co very first QAL -- probably a 2009 quilt also. Just needs binding. I obviously do not like making binding.

3. March -- Pinwheel Sampler from P.S. I Quilt. Rachel finished hers, and she even had a baby this year. What's my excuse?

Also for March I need to bind this quilt. I believe I started it 6 or 7 years ago. It was before we moved into this house, and that was 5 1/2 years ago.

4: April -- ORB QAL #4. This one was so involved and intricate. I finally trimmed all the string squares last week. I'm going to skip the circle cutting so I can finish it sometime before I die. I love the intricate ones, but they sit around too long around here. Not enough stamina I guess.

Also for April I need to bind this one. It's from Cathy's Charmed Whirligig QAL.

5. May -- Also from before we bought this house. This one is from Hopskotch Quilting by Peggy Waltman. (I was trying to link her website, but it must be gone now.) I got a little overambitious about the quilting -- as if the piecing wasn't enough, right?

Also for May I need to finish Amanda Jean's Star QAL. I may have started this in 2008 when I first started blogging. Maybe not till 2009.

6. June -- I bought a half-yard pack of Nicey Jane @ the Dallas Quilt Show earlier this year. This is such an easy pattern -- brick road-ish. WHAT is the deal with me? I get all these quilts to be in rows, and then I just don't want to sew the rows together. Okay. No more self-reproach. That's why I'm doing this -- to overcome my quilting weaknesses. ;)

Also for June is this lovely stacked coins quilt from 2009. I decided it would be gorgeous with some organic line quilting. Now, I'm not wrong about that, but I think the gorgeous factor would be upped if I finished it. Yeah, I'm sure.

7. July -- I made this modified bento box patterned after one that Ashley made. I made the quilt top so fast, and now it has sat around for about a year. I absolutely love it, so I'm hoping to finish and use it. Only one for July, because I was starting to get overwhelmed as I was making this list.

8. August -- I call this The Beautiful Briny (Bedknobs and Broomsticks). I saw one that Nettie made, and I just fell in love with it. Too many girly ones around here, and I have 5 boys. They need it, because they're tired of all the pink flowery quilts.

9. September -- Denim Stars -- also started before we bought the house -- actually to flimsy stage before then. I like it, but I'm a little daunted by the denim. Just gotta finish it.

10. October -- Because of all the applique, this one has taken me a while. I finished the applique earlier this year and then had to set it aside. This is also one that I started way before we moved into the house. The hard part's done, right?

11. November -- This one is just from a bunch of pink scraps from a friend who helped me get into quilting so much. She let me go through her HUGE stash and pick what I wanted. It was a great help at the time -- she did that for me a lot. I didn't have money for fabric then, but I truly loved quilting. Anyway, I made it SO HUGE. It's still pretty big, but I did take a bunch of squares off of it at one point. I made 2 baby quilts with what I removed.

12. December -- I love Judy Martin's quilts. She has such an interesting way of looking at blocks and using colors. I adapted a smaller version of this quilt to make a twin size. I absolutely love it. I made the top in 2 months of working on nothing else for 2 hours a day while my little ones napped. This was also before we bought the house. I think it was maybe 7 or 8 years ago. I didn't have a machine that could quilt until two years ago, so I wasn't able to finish as many of my quilt tops as quickly as I wanted to. Some I just let sit until I could machine quilt them. This one just kept getting pushed to the bottom of the pile, but I LOVE it.

I do hope to finish other quilts throughout the year besides these, but this would be an AMAZING start to chopping down my list. Thanks, Judy, for getting us focused!

Marcus' Quilt

2010-11-03T08:19:00.001-05:00

Elizabeth's pattern again. I made this in a different colorway before. Love it! It makes a fast baby quilt that is so striking. This time I didn't chop any of the squares in half though. It went so fast. My 7-year-old son was helping me. It's for his friend's new baby brother.

Riley Blake's Wheels fabric line and some aqua solid. I think it's Kona, but I'm not sure of the exact name. I used the same quilting as in the last one -- straight-stitch zig-zag. I love the wavy look it gives.

Another Mod Sampler Quilt

2010-11-02T08:08:00.002-05:00

Here's another quilt from my quilting group when we made Elizabeth Hartman's Mod Sampler Quilt as a group. Kim loves a black background and variegated thread. She always makes such bright, cheery quilts. She inspires me to try new things. One of these days, I am going to make a quilt with a black background, and it will be completely because of her.

Love the orphan butterflies on the back, Kim!

Hooray for (Other People's) Scraps!

2010-10-29T07:40:00.002-05:00

I suppose you've all heard about Jodi's Scrap-Along? If not, go check it out. She is helping us use our lovely scraps in fun and beautiful ways. Also, she has lots of bloggy friends who are willing to help us have more scraps. Who doesn't want more scraps, right? Especially those of other people! Well, so I won one of the giveaways -- from Sherri at A Quilting Life. I even bookmarked her, because her stuff is so beautiful! Look at all the gorgeous things she sent me!

A little Paula Prass Flight of Fancy. Some Denyse Schmidt. Some Verna, some Whimsy (sigh!), and some Spring Fever!

And a whole bunch of other gorgeous nibblets -- There's some Bliss, Dream On, Amy Butler, Lila Tueller, and I must confess I don't know what all else. But so gorgeous -- every single piece.

THANKS, SHERRI! I love them!

(Now, don't think that just because I won that I'm going to stop entering the scrap giveaways. Seriously -- no one thought that, did they? I'm hoping I win a bunch more. Yeah, I'm greedy like that, but only for fabric.)

Some mod sampler quilts that I did not make.

2010-10-01T15:19:00.001-05:00

Remember this quilt and this one? Well, the pattern is Elizabeth Hartman's, and I fell in love with it immediately. So did my quilt group. After seeing my first one, they had to make their own versions. Here are two of the finished products.

You just can NOT go wrong with sock monkeys. I think this was Susan's third or fourth finished quilt, two more in progress. First time with free motion, though, I think. Great job, Susan!

Somebody else doing her own thing on the back. This was her first machine-quilted quilt. Well, let's be honest. I think this was her first quilt ever. Way to go, Tiffany! I am just so proud of all my quilting friends. They have come quite a long way from the very beginnings of our group 4 years ago. Hopefully I will have more of their work to show you in the near future!

Get in line!

2010-09-30T14:54:00.000-05:00

Two quilts quilted and ready to be bound. Binding not made. I believe I've mentioned how I don't love to bind, right? Not even sure what to bind that bottom plaid one in -- maybe a solid navy blue. That's what I'm binding the top one with.

These quilts are all pinned and ready to be quilted. The top 4 are in some partial state of having been quilted. The very top one is one I am handquilting, so I quit on that one. It's probably 85% quilted. The next three are all being machine quilted, but I got a little ambitious with the quilting, and I got tired of working on them. I don't have Amanda Jean's stamina (or work ethic!).

My husband went on a Scout campout a couple weekends ago, and I got those bottom four basted in that one night. Yeah, I was up pretty late. I need him to go again so I can quilt them now! October's campout will save me. ;)

Rainbow Sherbet

2010-09-29T14:44:00.003-05:00

The center panel of this quilt was made using a Block of the Moment from Judy Martin's website -- the block is long gone, btw. I pieced this top probably 6 years ago. I know. I know. WHAT is my problem?!

Anyway, I decided it wasn't big enough on its own, so I added some borders. I first found the orangey-peachy stripe at a vendor shop at the Dallas Quilt Show several years ago, and I built the whole quilt off of that. Some fabrics are just scraps, and some were bought expressly for this quilt. Now it's pinned and ready to quilt! Of course, the line is long. We'll see if it's next or not.

I'm not exactly sure how big it is. I'll give dimensions when it's finished. I'm thinking 60+ inches square.

Block of the Month

2010-09-02T13:27:00.003-05:00

When I first started my quilting group, we did a quick baby quilt. Our second project was a block of the month to learn how to make different blocks and to use different piecing techniques. This was my result. I just used up whatever patriotic scraps I had lying around. The denim blue border was white muslin that I dyed. Anyway, not it is in a good home. I donated it to my church for a raffle we had the other night. One more down, seventy to go.

Out of my comfort zone

2010-08-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

I first saw this on Dana's blog. She first saw it on Amy's blog. Amy said not to get too hung up on the fabric. She said if you like it, you should use it. I love Amy's quilts. Both of them. I love Dana's. I do not love mine. I like each piece of fabric I used. Just not sure I like them together. I'm normally a very ordered, planned, two-to-three color quilter. This quilt is crazy to me. I tried to group the colors together. My husband does not like it at all.

My 15-year-old daughter LOVES it. So I guess it can be hers. I finished the top several months ago, but I needed some distance from it. It went together quickly, but I just needed to not look at it for a while.

Maybe from this distance -- yep, it's a little better. And maybe once I get it quilted, I will like it more. In the meantime, I need to decide what to put on the back! I guess with a quilt like this, anything goes!

Sometimes the math goes rogue.

2010-08-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

This was supposed to be a baby quilt, people. Each block was supposed to be 12 inches finished. In planning the center pinwheel, it made it to be 8 inches. It should have been 4. So now the blocks are 23 inches. Rogue math. What are ya gonna do? And I really wanted them on point. Well, actually, I don't want the blocks on point, but I wanted the pinwheels themselves to be on point. Why, oh, why did I add the triangles to each corner then?

I am a math whiz. Seriously. I don't mean that sarcastically. Math was one of my best subjects in school. What happened here, then? I. Do. Not. Know. Sometimes the math goes rogue. That's all I can come up with.

So now what? Too much white? Colored sashing between each block? Pull off the corners and return the blocks to their 8 inch state? Brightly colored border? Anyone? Bueller? Seriously, give me your opinion. They're just sitting here waiting for someone to make a decision. That someone could be you.

Almost . . .

2010-08-10T15:42:00.005-05:00

Where have I been, you might ask. Where haven't I been? I have been on vacation for a month and then back at work putting out fires. Vacation was good. Work -- well, it's work. BUT, while I was on vacation, I was able to work on Amanda Jean's quilt-along. She's done with her top. I'm almost done with mine. I'm not good at keeping up with quilt-alongs (gasp!), but I am close on this one. Very proud.

It's with Fig Tree Quilts' Whimsy line. LOVE it!

In which I make some actual progress . . .

2010-06-29T19:18:00.002-05:00

For some reason, blogger won't allow me to move my pictures around once I've uploaded them, so this post has the pictures backwards from how I intended them. Phooey. I'm too lazy to delete and reload them. Do you see my lovely pedicure again? It's three weeks old -- from my brother's wedding. A few chips, but better than usual. Ach! I just looked at it again, and it doesn't even look like a French manicure -- just regular toes. But, I digress.

Amanda Jean just posted her applique, and it made me feel gutsy enough to show mine. You see how she inspires me constantly. This is one I have been working on FOREVER -- although that is true of many of my quilts. Let's just say, though, that I started it before we bought our house five years ago. It could be more like 7 or 8 years old (the quilt -- not the house).

Very traditional pattern and colors -- still needs borders. I found the pattern in a magazine and liked it. Now I feel like it's too matchy-matchy. The blue background was supposed to be one solid piece, but I decided to patch it. I love it that way! I love when the backgrounds are scrappy. Anyway, I still like (but don't love) it. This was before I moved to more modern fabrics and styles. I do like so many of the traditional quilts still, though.

And this is the top for Cathy's Charmed Whirligig quilt-along. It had just been awaiting borders, and I finished them yesterday. Obviously I still have to make the back, quilt it, and bind it, but I am making progress on my goal of 13 -- albeit minor progress. Look, I do what I can. 30 hours a week in my husband's office is cramping my style (not to mention the seven kids). =) Here's hoping I can get in more quilting time on vacation.

Quilting along!

2010-06-29T19:12:00.002-05:00

Look at me! I'm caught up to where Amanda Jean is. Well, sort of. I still have a few stacks of strips to cut, but I'm caught up with the sewing. I think I'll take this on vacation with me so I can keep up. I think Jill is quilting along too, so we can do it together. I will be in her neck of the woods for part of my vacation. Are you quilting along? And are you caught up?

Deconstructing a quilt . . .

2010-06-25T12:37:00.004-05:00

Literally. Before picture.

I got this adorable vintage fabric at the Fort Worth Quilt Show a number of years ago. I loved it, didn't want to cut it up (always how I felt for a LONG time), so I found some fabrics in my stash that matched and made it into a quilt top -- never finished it. Never loved it either. Loved the fabric -- just not the quilt top. I really don't know why I felt like I had to slap something together with it. It has been too long since I made it to remember the psychology behind it.

Anyway, now it looks like this. I love the fabric. I don't want to feel like I wasted it on a quilt I do not love. So I have one fewer WIP. Not the traditional route, though.

So the lesson for today is don't be afraid to rip apart something you don't love. I don't mean in a mad frenzy. Keep yourself under control. But quilting is for you to love. Only do what works for you. Now I have to think of a better use for this fabric. But not yet. Because I am still at 72 WIPs, and that is nothing to sneeze at. Okay. Go make something!

Falling off the wagon . . . and jumping on the bandwagon.

2010-06-22T19:07:00.003-05:00

I really shouldn't be starting any more projects . . . but I could no longer resist when I saw these. Hers are cuter than mine, but I'll keep working up to her standard. REALLY old fabrics, some of these. Some Simplicity and some Princess thing that Jill will know the name of. I made an entire quilt out of it, and this is what is left. Seriously long-term project. And now that I've confessed this to you all, I'll have to up my number. Again.

Leftover love

2010-06-17T16:09:00.005-05:00

This quilt is for a dear friend (baby shower was Tuesday), and it is just made from all the leftovers from this quilt. Of course, the original isn't finished yet. And I had to take pics of this pre-wash and drying because I was running late. So late, in fact, that my dear husband had to deliver it to the baby shower after it was (mostly) dry. =/

It's kind of hard to see, but I did swirls in the whirligig that are all connected to each other -- swirl in, swirl out, go to the next one to swirl in, swirl out. I stippled the outer white border with a small stipple. It looked so fantastic once it was washed and dried -- so crinkly.

It was a Spring Magic by April Cornell jelly roll. After I made the coin quilt, there was just enough left over to make these little whirligigs. The finished block is 4 inches. Jelly rolls are great for that. Now, I think I've mentioned before how I manage to mess these whirligigs up. I made a previous one and cut some of the pieces upside down, going the wrong way, so I had to make more going in the correct direction (and the incorrect direction). I ended up putting the opposite ones around the border separated by white. That one is finally to quilt-top stage but not finished. Maybe you'll get to see it soon, but it's not in my QAL list, so maybe NOT. You can see in the above pic as well as the below pic how the whirligigs are going the opposite direction. In this one, since I didn't have any more of these fabrics -- these were the scraps -- I just decided that I would just put all the different ones in one row.

So you can see how the white space surrounding the opposite whirligigs does not create a whirligig shape. Whatever. That was my solution. I didn't point it out, and if the mama wants to give it back, so be it. = ) Because I love it. Some melon-colored Quilter's Only on the back, bound in a green print from Lila Tueller's Santorini. Because I didn't have any more Spring Magic. This was seriously all that was left. Kind of a nice feeling, actually. I used the whole jelly roll!

Dye-ing, not dying.

2010-06-17T07:13:00.003-05:00

My oldest daughter has plans for a black and jewel tone quilt but couldn't find exactly what she was looking for in my stash, so we decided to dye some bleached muslin (which I buy by the bolt). I don't have a picture of that yet, but I figured while she was dying things (girls' camp shirt needed some tie-dying too), I would throw in some different fabrics just to see how they'd turn out. Oh, yeah, and some diapers for burp cloths. I love those.

I have these in a before and after setup. You can see that in most there is not much difference between the before and after. I think that was due in part to the fact that the dye was running out. I should have gotten the big bottle instead of the little packet. Live and learn.

That top one looks pink in this pic, but in real life it's a decent lavender. Probably the second best result.

Overall I think I mostly just got a muddied look. Again, I think that was in part due to not enough dye. I was just throwing things in at the end to see what would happen. Some of them I WILL use. I have been thinking of a purple, black, and white quilt. Some of these just don't qualify as purple. I just used RIT dye. I saw that iDye stuff at Joann's the last time I was there, so I might try that one of these times, see if I get better results. So, overall, not a failure, because I learned something, but certainly not quite what I was going for. I'll probably try more as we dye my daughter's other fabrics. The whites obviously take it the best. We'll see. Have you ever tried dying or altering the color in your fabric?

Summer plans

2010-06-09T18:08:00.005-05:00

Let me have a what, what! for the fact that Amanda Jean is back. Did I mention this before? Anyway, true to form, she's back to inspiring me. She's having another quilt-along. And I'm joining in. Of course. This is what I'm going to use for it.

I am so excited. It's my first Fig Tree fabric purchase, though I have long coveted Joanna's stuff. Anyway, my summer plans -- I am going to try to finish all my quilt-alongs. It's getting ridiculous how many I've started and not finished. So here's the list.

Christmas 9-patch from Amanda Jean's One-a-day QAL
Elizabeth Hartman's Paintbox QAL
Anina's Pinwheel Party
Rachel Griffiths' Pinwheel Sampler
ORB #1
ORB #4
ORB hexies by Julie
AJ's Star QAL
Anina's Geese in the Forest
Applewood Farms BOM from last year
AJ's new QAL
ORB Asterisk QAL
Cathy's Whirligig QAL

So now we're in the crazy room where I suggest that I can actually finish all this by the end of the summer (let's say the end of August). And I'm going to be gone all of July. And I have two finished tops from my quilt group that I need to quilt also. But I'm not going to commit to those, because, you know, that would just be too much to finish. I actually think there is no freakin' way I will finish all these by the end of the summer, BUT this will give me a list to focus on. And I definitely need help with focusing. Cross your fingers. If I DO finish all this -- I don't know how I'll reward myself, but let me tell you, it will be AWESOME! What are your summer plans? I hope you finish more than you start! = )

Guitar SupaStar!

2010-06-03T10:59:00.004-05:00

So, the baby this is going to is already like three months old. Sometimes I'm ahead of my game, and sometimes (mostly) I'm WAAAAYYYY behind. Here I think I would call it moderately behind. This is why I'm so thankful to Jacquie and her Spring to Finish challenge. This is number 10 of 11. I finished it before the deadline, but I didn't get it posted before then. (Same thing with the previous two quilts.) Number 11 didn't make it, but I am just amazed that I finished 10. I'm going to have to challenge myself in June to finish some more -- maybe all my quilt-alongs. =/

I LOVE these Maverick stars. I did some for Amanda Jean's Quilts of Valor project last year, and then I just had to do some more. I saw some of Ashley's Maverick star quilts, and I knew I wanted to make a quilt similar to hers (and this one too).

I quilted a swirl in the centers of each block, and then I bisected each star point and followed it to the edge of the quilt. It made a lot of crisscrosses -- scrunchier in some places than in others.

It was this piece of flannel that inspired the color scheme. Little guitars -- probably came from Jill. She sent me a bunch of flannel at one point. Here's the lesson for the day -- use the exact same fabric when piecing each block on a quilt where you want the stars to look like they're floating. White is not always white. Now, normally I like the variation I get when I use different whites, but in this particular quilt, I was looking for a uniformity in the background that I didn't get. The difference was not extremely noticeable until I got it out of the washing machine, so at first I wondered if some of the green bled into it. That may still be the case. It just looks kind of yellow. I'm not going to take it apart, mind you. It's just an imperfection that is going to bug me whenever I see it (which, admittedly, will not be that often, since I'm giving it away.)

So that's a lesson for next time -- because I'm having my Common Threads group make me Maverick stars in citrus colors (mostly based off of Riley Blake's Summer Song). Use the same white.

Black Raspberries and Cream

2010-06-02T10:34:00.000-05:00

This is another of Elizabeth Hartman's designs. It is the Mod Sampler Quilt-along. I finished my first one last year, and then my quilting group wanted to do it as well. So I quilted along with them and did another version. I need to post theirs as well. Everyone's turned out so different. That's what's so fun about this pattern. Well, I suppose that's really true of most patterns. Same pattern, different fabrics = completely different feel to the quilt.

Her pattern calls for a 5x6 layout of blocks -- making six of each block and saving six to go on the back. I decided once again that I wanted it slightly bigger, so I did eight of each block, thus creating a 6x8 layout. Finished quilt is 62x82-ish. All from scraps laying around my house, but I did try to make each set of six out of the same two fabrics -- some had to be substituted a little.

I had no blocks leftover for the back, but I did have this crazy piece of black and white that is pretty much perfect for this quilt -- and that I really didn't know where else I was going to use it. That pink was yardage I got from my LQS when they had a finish-the-bolt sale last year. It's Santorini by Lila Tueller. Very soft. I must confess that I don't like this one as much as my first one. I think it's just all the colors on the other one. I do like each individual fabric on this quilt though -- very fun and interesting. There are lots of vintage black and white prints (read: very, very old and unidentifiable). It's for my SIL -- well, soon to be SIL. The wedding is on Saturday and it's a wedding gift. I started the quilt not necessarily FOR her, but when it turned up that these are actually her wedding colors, I decided it had to go to her. I have plans for another quilt for my brother. I didn't finish it in time for Jacquie's challenge, but I still have to finish it before I leave the state on Friday.

Giraffe Quilt

2010-06-01T17:22:00.002-05:00

Some quilts I have no problem naming, and others are more difficult for me. And don't even ask me about labeling. I'm terrible at labeling them. =/

I pieced this quilt a good eight years ago. My SIL had gotten some of the giraffe fabric with pink, and I liked it in the green colorway. I let it sit so long before quilting it that I had a hard time matching the back to the front. And of course, I used every ever-loving piece of it to make the front, although, if there were any scraplets left, I wouldn't be able to find them anyway due to their advanced age. Anyway, so I quilted it last year, but I had the same problem with binding that I had with the backing -- the greens were not quite the right match -- all the ones I could track down. Admittedly, it wasn't a hard-fought search to find the perfect binding, but at the same time, even in my lackadaisical quest, I was unwilling to settle for a weird color for the binding. So I finally decided on brown -- I'm pretty sure it's Quilter's Only from Joann's -- that chocolatey brown color. And I think it's growing on me.

Diagonal crosshatch (which has ever been my go-to mode of quilting should ideas fail me). It doesn't make for as scrunchy of a quilt after washing, but at this point I'm going with, "Hey, it's done, and it's another boy quilt to add to my stack." And I really do still like the colors.

Spring to Finish Blocks!

2010-05-26T08:01:00.007-05:00

I do not know what is up with my personality, but I just keep starting stuff and not finishing. I am a walking disaster in most parts of my life. I used to be so decisive, and now I'm floundering. But enough about me. Here I am finishing stuff I said I would. The last eight Paintbox blocks.

I had stopped, because my Kona roll had like four greens left, and I didn't have anything in those particular colors of green. I was stumped. I didn't want to buy any more fabrics, so I just set the thing aside in my mind -- undecided as to what to do. Then I found the other Kona roll I had purchased -- I think it was the pastel colorway. Anyway, I just pulled four colors from there and finished it up. The pastels might not go with my brights as well, but I just needed to get it done. I think it will be fine. They'll blend in.

So, yeah, all 80 blocks are done! I realize that the quilt-along is over and a lot of people have their entire quilts done. I'm making progress, so that's good enough for me. I'll put that on my next list. This checks off one more on my Spring to Finish challenge. Yay me! (And, seriously, yay, Jacquie for getting us to do this. There are only like five days left.)

Three blocks for Nadia.

I loved her fabrics so much that I ended up making three. I'm three months late, though, so hopefully that makes up for it. And I'm hoping that she has been too busy with her new baby to put this quilt together. =/

(All these are for Common Threads.) For Amanda.

And for Wendy.

Wendy wanted a neighborhood quilt like the one from Material Obsession. (I think it was their first book?) Luckily, she said we could wear pants. I do wear dresses to church on Sunday, but that's about it. I'm jeans and t-shirt, blend into the background, no-one-notice-me kind of girl. And also, I am not fond of lace. I'm really not that girly. So my person is rather plain, but it is reflective of who I am. Also, I didn't put shoes on my person, because I'm usually barefoot (although not footless, as shown above). Nor am I bald. Okay. Okay. So it's not an exact replica, people.

However, that DOES catch me up for Common Threads, and it's my month to send stuff out -- which I am hoping to do today. Yeah, I'm a little late. Who's surprised? Anyway, so that makes four more to check off my Spring to Finish list. Five days, four items. Can she do it? We will see.

Calen's Quilt

2010-05-25T07:56:00.002-05:00

In case any of you don't know it yet, I love Elizabeth Hartman's designs. She produces such clean lines. This is another of hers, the Charm Squares Baby Quilt. However, true to form, I modified it slightly. She uses charm squares in her version. I just had some half yards, so I cut my squares 5 1/2 inches instead of using charm squares. So hence, I also cut the rectangles 3 x 5 1/2 inches. For the sashing strips between the rows of blocks I cut four strips that were 3 inches by about 38. The upper and lower borders were cut 5 1/2 inches wide by about 38. Well, I cut them WOF, and then trimmed them. My washed and crinkly quilt measures approximately 37 1/4 x 44 1/4.

Back

I used the straight/zigzagged stitch on my regular machine. I guess I don't know what it's called, but it's the one where it stitches three straight stitches up, then three stitches down to form a zigzag. I just liked the wavy look it gave to the quilt.

Fun striped binding.

Michael Miller fabrics except for the gray, which is Kona Coal. It's for my baby nephew who was born at least a month ago. Counts for my Spring to Finish Challenge, so I can check it off my list!

Blogger's quilt festival

2010-05-21T10:47:00.004-05:00

Amy that was Park City Girl is hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival again, so I thought I'd join in.

This is the New Wave quilt that was designed by Elizabeth Hartman, but I made it slightly smaller for a baby size and turned it on end. She offered the pattern free on her website, and now she has expanded it to include other sizes (which she is selling in her shop). I have never bound a quilt in white before, and I was slightly skeptical about how it would look, but I really like how it frames the quilt, ties in with the sashing.

Amy Butler's Midwest Modern.

Back.

I love the movement of this quilt, and I wanted my quilting to complement that. I just did some wavy vertical lines that overlap each other. I absolutely love the overall effect. I wish I could have kept this quilt, but I don't have any baby girls anymore.

And look how happy the mama is. She loves it too, and that's what it's about for me anyway.

Don't forget to click on the logo above to see everyone else's Festival quilts. There are a ton out there, lots of inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by.

Bridesmaid Dresses -- Done.

2010-05-09T17:33:00.003-05:00

Hopefully I can have better pictures from the wedding, you know, with bridesmaids actually in the dresses. I didn't hem them, because the bridesmaids are across the country from me. Someone else will do the final fit and hem. I'm just going to say, though -- three bridesmaid dresses, two weeks, whew! On to the next item on my list.

Spring to Finish

2010-04-22T09:58:00.004-05:00

Jacquie is so wonderful to always keep us finishing our projects. I have been slacking lately -- largely because I have been working in my husband's business a lot more. Still, I have a lot of things to finish.

So here's my list of things I'd like to finish by May 31st. Stop me if I get too ambitious. That seems to be my hallmark.

Three bridesmaid dresses
Black Raspberry Mod Sampler
49ers Quilt
Mod Zoo baby quilt
Guitar Supastar quilt
Secret baby girl quilt
Binding on giraffe quilt
Finish paintbox blocks
Nadia's block
Wendy's block
Amanda's block

Yep, I'm that behind on Common Threads. Of course, as you can see from my sidebar, there are many other projects to finish, but I'm going to have to stop there. I hope to get all these done since some of these babies are already born. Okay. So by May 10th, I have to have at least 5 of these babies done. That's the halfway point, even though I'm starting a little late. Feel free to join in and finish up some of your projects too.

If I finish my list, I will be rewarding myself with the Rural Jardins wovens FQ pack. I am IN LOVE with those. Wish me luck!

Friday Night Sew-In Results for April

2010-04-17T15:48:00.004-05:00

My husband, the scoutmaster, and my son, the Life Scout, usually have a campout on the third Friday of each month. Not so this month, so I didn't have as much time as I wanted to sew this Friday. Here's what I did do.

Blocks for Rachel Griffiths' Pinwheel Sampler quilt-along. I'm all caught up now. Blocks are made with Aster Manor by Three Sisters for Moda and some Quilter's Only (idk what color).

Two weeks' worth of blocks for Anina's Pinwheel Party. Now I am caught up there as well. If I actually stopped joining quilt-alongs, I'm sure I could finish other stuff up on these Friday nights. Ah, well, quilting is quilting. I enjoy it all.

This is one of the 25 string blocks I have to make for ORB round 4, hosted by a different Heidi -- The Wild Circle Surprise. You may recall the wonky nine-patch blocks I made before for this quilt. I swear I'm never going to finish. One-and-a-half down, 23 1/2 to go. (Sigh.) And there's still curved piecing and appliques circles after this. I seriously hope I love this quilt if it ever gets done. Heidi did an amazing job designing this quilt. So involved.

(Edited to add: I have looked for a post with the wonky 9-patches and have been unable to find them. If you don't recall them, it's possible that the reason is that I never posted them here. Go figure!)

April's Friday Night Sew-in

2010-04-07T12:13:00.003-05:00

I am joining the Friday Night Sew-in again this month. I think the last time I sewed anything was that Friday in March. This month's is April 16th -- next weekend. Go check out all the details on Heidi's blog! There's a giveaway for participating. Plus, you get to check stuff off your list.

This is a pictureless post, because I have internet/computer issues right now. So sorry for not putting the button on here again.